Lenovo Announces Smaller, More Affordable ThinkCentre Desktops

By Michelle Maisto |
Posted 2009-03-10

Lenovo has two new desktop business PCs in the chute designed to address challenges facing both larger enterprises and SMBs.

The two systems, starting at $399, will be available in the beginning of April.
The Lenovo ThinkCentre A58 is aimed at small businesses. Included are
Lenovo Think Care tools, which address data recovery, password resets,
asset management and more - common issues that can affect worker
productivity and put unnecessary demands on small IT teams.

The ThinkCentre M58e, intended for large and midmarket companies,
combines all the technologies of the A58 with "green" features that
meet Energy Star 5.0 specifications, which go into effect July 1.

Select EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool)
Gold-rated M58e models offer improved energy efficiency, which in large
deployments can offer accumulating savings. Combined with a ThinkVision
L1940pW monitor, the new system can save businesses about $40 a year
over other Lenovo desktop and monitor offerings, the company said.

Both the A58 and 58e are GreenGuard air-quality certified, and so have
been tested to ensure they're free of up to 2,000 various chemical
emissions.

Both desktops additionally feature the Lenovo Rescue and Recovery tool
- which aids in recovering and restoring lost files - as well as the
Lenovo Online Data Backup service, which customers can try free for 90
days with up to 5 GB of storage.

According to Gartner research, only 13 to 16 percent of the total
lifetime cost of a PC is the initial hardware cost - the majority is
associated with software and ongoing management. With its new desktops,
Lenovo is looking to ease IT burdens and lower the overall TCO of each
desktop.

"Customers are feeling the pinch of the challenging economic times and
are demanding PCs that give them the most value for their dollar,"
Executive Director Dilip Bhatia said in a prepared statement.